Allen West: Obama's UN Nominee Has ‘No Diplomatic Qualifications’

(CNSNews.com) – Two days after receiving more than 300,000 “Likes”on Facebook for his post criticizing Lady Gaga for concluding the National Anthem with the words “home of the gay,” former Republican Congressman Allen West (R-Fla.) turned his sights on Samantha Power, President Obama’s nominee for U.N. ambassador.

Speaking Wednesday at a panel discussion hosted by the Center for Security Policy n Washington, West said the Harvard professor “is the wrong choice for these troubling times.”

“At a time when the Mideast is in complete turmoil…At a time when our allies are confused and our enemies emboldened, President Obama’s nomination of Samantha Power as U.N. ambassador is ill-conceived folly,” West declared.

Noting that Power has shown “a disdain for American power” and “a great disdain for our ally, the state of Israel,” West, who spent 22 years in the military before being elected to Congress, added: “Samantha Power possesses no diplomatic qualifications, and along the lines of Susan Rice, is nothing more than a loyal Obama acolyte.”

Dozens of former military officers and national security officials recently sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), calling Power “a wholly unacceptable choice for this sensitive post.”

“Tomorrow we celebrate the 237th anniversary of our independence. The following day, on Friday, China and Russia will conduct the largest joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan.” West said. “And for us to think that Samantha Power will be a face of American resolve is absolutely insane.

“When you consider the fact that we have a national security team composed now of Susan Rice, Chuck Hagel, John Kerry, John Brennan, and now possibly Samantha Power, this is without a doubt the most troubling, weak and disturbing national security team America has seen, and is a threat to us as a free and independent state…”